OnePlus 2 goes on general sale: Customers will no longer need an invite to buy the £239 'iPhone killer' handset

Firm's OnePlus X will then be sold without an invite during 'open sales'

The handsets start at £239 ($329) and £165 ($249) respectively

OnePlus's 5.5-inch OnePlus 2 has been dubbed an 'iPhone killer'

Until now, the only way to get your hands on a OnePlus handset was by invitation.

But following its Black Friday sale last week, the Chinese phone maker has decided to remove the need for an invitation for its OnePlus 2 indefinitely.

From tomorrow, the phone - which has been dubbed an 'iPhone killer' because of its cheap price and advanced specifications - will go on general sale.

Its cheaper OnePlus X will then be sold without an invite once a week during what the company calls 'open sales.'

In a blog post, OnePlus wrote: 'Over the past two years, we've worked hard to make changes that improve the total experience for our fans.

Recently hosted an open sale for the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, and now we're taking things even further

'Starting on 5 December, we will be making the OnePlus 2 invite-free forever!'
The OnePlus X will also be invite-free between the 5 and 7 December, after which it will be available without an invite during open sales times each week.
This weekend's open sales period will be the last chance for customers to buy the OnePlus 2 or OnePlus X to have it delivered before Christmas.
The 5.5-inch OnePlus 2 is the follow-up to last year's popular OnePlus One.
The OnePlus 2 handset starts at £239 in the UK and $329 in the US, while the OnePlus X starts at £165 in the UK and $249 in the US.
OnePlus 2 runs Android Lollipop and features a 5.5-inch, 1080p screen that 'outperforms in direct sunlight with 178 degrees of viewing angles' as well as a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor.
It comes with 16GB of storage and 3GB of RAM, or 64GB of storage with 4GB of RAM.
A major selling points is its 13MP camera with image stabilisation, a laser focusing system and two-tone flash as well as a 5MP front-facing camera for selfies.
By comparison, the iPhone 6's rear-facing camera is 8MP, while Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge is 16MP and HTC's tops the list with 20MP.
Like the iPhone, the OnePlus 2 has a fingerprint sensor so users can lock and unlock their phone 'in less than half a second' without having to remember a password.
OnePlus has made its own skin for Android, called OxygenOS, which allows people to use gestures to access features, such as tapping the screen to wake it and drawing a circle to activate the camera.

HOW THE ONEPLUS 2 COMPARES TO THE IPHONE 6

OnePlus 2

iPhone 6

Dimensions

15.2 x 7.5 x 1cm

13.8 x 6.7 x 0.7cm

Weight

6 ounces

4.6 ounces (129g)

Display

5.5-inch HD (401PPI)

4.7-inch Retina display (326PPI)

Operating system

Android Lollipop 5.1 with an Oxygen skin

iOS

Camera

13MP

8MP

Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810

Apple A8

RAM

4GB or 3GB

1GB

Storage

16/64GB

16/64/128GB

Ports

USB Type-C

Lightning connector

Price

From œ£239

From œ£539

Fingerprint sensor

Yes

Yes

A feature called the 'shelf' collects a user's most-used apps and contacts together in one place, as well as Google Now, which they can see by swiping left.

The phone is made from better quality materials than its predecessor, with an aluminium frame and stainless steel accents and textured plastic, kevlar or wooden back covers made from bamboo, black apricot and rosewood.

'At just 175g, the OnePlus 2 is easy and natural to hold,' the company said.

It also has a USB-C port on the bottom, which is the newest USB standard and is expected to be adopted by multiple smartphone makers.

The 64GB handset costs €399 in Europe while the 16GB model is €339.

OnePlus has made its own skin for Android, called OxygenOS, which lets people use gestures to access features, such as tapping to wake it and drawing a circle to activate the camera. The phone is shown

The OnePlus 2 handset starts £239 in the UK and $329 in the US, while Apple's popular iPhone 6 (pictured) starts at £539, although the two do have some different features